After previously seeing Jonny Cotsen and Mr and Mrs Clark
with Louder Is Not Always Clearer, it is safe to say my interest in BSL performances
and learning BSL has peaked more than ever before.

If we’re being honest, between us friends, I am not sure
before Cotsen’s show, that I have ever seen a show with BSL. Not even a
captioned performance. And for that I feel shame, but also think it makes a
great point of what Cotsen and Handprint Theatre and trying to achieve and put
across in the industry with these shows.

Moonbird is a gorgeous tale of a Prince whose parents begin
to realise he is deaf. Their struggle is explored on how to connect with their
child and their feelings of failure towards him, but we also explore Orla’s
(the Prince) struggle with being deaf, the world around him and ultimately
loneliness. Enter the Moonbird who introduces him to nature, where he learns
how he can communicate, and rebuild hIS relationship with his parents.

Throughout the production, BSL is communicated, along with
subtitles projected behind. They are patient and take their time, not rushing
through this to fully fulfil the message coming across. As one who does not
know BSL, the movements of communication are like a beautiful dance, and the
performers throw their all into it, incredibly bringing emotion and feeling
across. If there were not spoken word accompanying the signing, I believe that
you would still understand the story and feel every emotion within it.

The performers do well to change characters – a small group
of 4, the majority double, even triple up from humans in the palace, to deer
roaming the fields and monkeys playfully prancing the stage. During this time,
there is almost no speech at all, purely the communication through action,
movement and facial expressions. And nothing is over the top – it is enough for
the stage yet subtle enough to be realistic and understandable.

Use of puppetry (my favourite!) comes in the form of baby
Orla and Moonbird, and every movement is carefully thought out and taken time
with. There is total fluidity and realism with this and you forget that these
are not real actors on stage.

Lastly, the staging, lighting and general composition of the
aesthetics are magical and beautiful. Simple yet effective, it feels as if we
have jumped into a story book, with purples and blues, peacock colours spanning
the stage, and basic costuming and props to help the story along – but ultimately
this story is about the physical and nothing draws away from this.

Moonbird, while a production for young families, is really for everyone. The story is what every child’s story should be – magical, engaging and with a moral to the story. Moonbird is such an important performance for theatre going forward, I dare anyone to come away without being mesmerised and championing BSL performances.